The Running Man Has A New Ending But Stephen King Approves

Last month, Lionsgate released The Long Walk, and several aspects of the original story by Stephen King were altered; however, one significant change was to the ending. Thematically, it was largely the same, but there were some significant changes that people seemed to accept. The Mist is another King story where the movie adaptation altered a major aspect of the ending, making it even bleaker. Now, The Running Man is the next King adaptation that is getting a change, which made the day that writer and director Edgar Wright sent King the script quite stressful.

"Possibly the most nerve-wracking day of the entire production was writing to King with an attachment of the screenplay and pressing send," Wright explained to Film Stories. The ending in the first movie adaptation of The Running Man was also not the same as the book, and Wright explained that, "Everybody knew at the outset that [the novel's ending] wasn't going to be part of this adaptation exactly the way." So it sounds like something that was a day one change instead of something that was walked back at any point in production, King has infamously had opinions about changes to his work, for example he quite enjoyed the movie ending to The Mist film, but infamously disliked the changes to The Shining, so Wright likely knew if King had issues with any changes he made, King wouldn't hesitate to voice them. However, he revealed that King was pleased with the changes.

"He realised even before he read it that we weren't going to be doing the ending from the book," Wright said. "And when [King] emailed back, he said, 'I was very curious how you were going to tackle the ending, and I think you did a great job.' So I was very happy with that."

King's approval of any changes to The Running Man will hold a lot of weight for his diehard fans, but Wright is unsurprisingly keeping the changes to the ending to himself, and we'll all see how it shakes out in November. 

The Running Man: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show's charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben's defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.